When I was growing up, I knew brisket as an island of meat in a sea of sweet brownish-red sauce with carrot-plank buoys. Every holiday, this was plunked in the center of the table alongside a loaf of bread. It was … fine. But nothing to write home...

“Away,” an original Netflix series that premieres on Sept. 4, stars Hilary Swank as an American astronaut who must leave her husband and teen daughter to command an international space crew embarking upon a treacherous, three year-long mission. There...

Move over, Jason Marquis. Fourteen years after Marquis last played for the Cardinals, the team again has a Jewish pitcher: Rob Kaminsky. The team promoted the left-hander from its alternate training site Aug. 15, and he made his major league debut a...

Elijah Kelman’s favorite part of the Passover seder is eating karpas. Actually, Elijah could munch on parsley all day, every day. That’s because he’s a “Jewish” guinea pig.His “mother,” Abby Kelman, adopted the Abyssinian guinea pig on Erev...

Raise your hand if you’re tired of the phrase “the new normal.” Keep your hand up if you realize you’re actually adapting to the new normal, even though the term annoys you. I see lots of hands.  The world has changed plans with regard to work,...

There is simplicity and an unspoken elegance inherent in most comfort foods. Every culture has them. They are the foods that console us and make us feel good.Here in America, popular comfort foods include gooey mac ’n’ cheese, beef stew with noodles...

New films, shows streaming“Greyhound,” a big-budget film starring Tom Hanks (who also wrote the film), began streaming on Apple Plus TV on July 10. A huge audience has tuned-in and it is now a summer streaming blockbuster. “Greyhound” is the...

My friends are worried about me. They know that my husband, Ken, and I normally … Ha! What is normal? We go out almost every night to a play, a poetry reading, a ballet, a music event, a museum and so on. How are the Kranzbergs adjusting to the new...

The Peacock spreads its wingsThe new Peacock network, an offshoot of NBC, premiered for wide audiences on July 15. Certain cable company customers were already getting Peacock with their subscription. Now everyone can see some of the shows (with ads)...

July 16, 1926: Wertheimer bornStef Wertheimer, who becomes one of Israel’s wealthiest citizens with a net worth of $5 billion, is born in Kippenheim, Germany. He immigrates to Palestine with his family in 1937. He serves with the British Royal Air Force...

‘Hamilton’ and more (Some catch-up) The film version of “Hamilton,” the mega-hit Broadway musical about Alexander Hamilton, begins streaming on the Disney Plus channel on July 3. The film was supposed to open in theaters, but COVID-19 intervened....

During this weird, difficult time, I am thinking back to some very special exhibitions and talks that I attended shortly before the world started to tilt. Native Americans are already a marginalized group in our country and have faced serious challenges...